Alicia Johnson, spokesperson for the Chatham County DA’s office,
which includes Savannah, said the two Marines will only face
misdemeanor charges for allegedly punching [Kieran] Daly. The decision was made
weeks ago, she added. The two Marines will appear before a judge in state court on Sept. 9. The judge is expected to hear the case and render a verdict, Johnson
said. The case has already been postponed twice.

After the alleged attack on June 12, LGBT activists in Savannah and
Atlanta called for the FBI to investigate the incident under the federal
hate crimes law. Johnson said after the FBI, the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police
Department and the DA’s office reviewed Daly's medical records and
conducted further investigation, they determined this case had “no
merit” to be considered a hate crime. "I can’t speak on the specifics because this is pending litigation,
but for a crime to be considered a felony [which a hate crime is
considered to be] there has to be proof of a sustained injury," Johnson
said. "It’s my understanding Daly suffered only a punch. Based on his
medical records we could not upgrade the charge from a misdemeanor to a
felony."

The vicious assault of two combat-trained Marines against one civilian—described as "only a punch" by prosecutors—lead to Kieran Daly suffering bruising to the brain and two
seizures. Daly remained hospitalized for a week and denied
coming onto the soldiers. "I was just standing here eating my pizza," said Daly. "The only thing I
said to him, it was in a really relaxed tone was, 'No. I'm not winking
at you.'"

Georgia is only one of five states without a hate crimes law, which is why the Federal Bureau of Investigation was asked to determine if the Marines could be charged under the new federal hate crime statute. If convicted of a misdemeanor, Cronauer and Stanzel could face less than a year in jail and a fine of no more than $1,200.

If these Iraq War vets were "threatened" by a gay man allegedly
"winking" at them over a slice of pizza, it's amazing they were able to patrol the streets of Baghdad.

16 June 2010

An update to the brutal weekend gay-bashing in Savannah allegedly at the hands of two Marines. Cpl. Keil Joseph Cronauer, 22, and Lance Cpl. Christopher Charles Stanzel, 23, claim the 26-year-old gay man made "unwanted verbal advances" and say they felt "threatened." The two have been restricted to MCAS Beaufort in nearby South Carolina during the investigation.

"The two Marines arrested and charged in the beating over the weekend face misdemeanor charges. 'I’m very concerned this happened in the first place. But these misdemeanor charges are outrageous,' [Georgia Equality Executive Director Jeff] Graham added. 'And then to turn [the Marines] over to the military police is a miscarriage of justice.' A vigil for the victim, 26-year-old Kieran Daly, is being planned for Sunday at 2 p.m. at Johnson Square in Savannah, said Kevin Clark, board member for Georgia Equality in Savannah."

Georgia is only one of five states without a hate crimes law. The Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Atlanta is exploring the possibility of charging the Marines under the new federal hate crime statute, reports the Marine Corps Times.

"FBI spokesman Steve Emmett in Atlanta said Monday the agency and federal prosecutors were looking into whether the weekend attack on 26-year-old Kieran Daly meets requirements for hate crime charges by the Justice Department. He declined to comment further. ... A spokesman for Marine Air Corps Station Beaufort said the two Marines have received death threats online from people angered by the case. He urged people not to jump to conclusions. 'There are two sides to every story and right now the only side getting told is the alleged victim’s,' said Gunnery Sgt. Chad McMeen. 'People have looked them up on Facebook and they’re now giving them death threats, for what may have been a simple bar fight.'"

The "simple fight" of two Marines against one civilian lead to Kieran Daly suffering bruising to the brain and two seizures immediately after the attack. Daly remains hospitalized and denies coming onto the soldiers. "I was just standing here eating my pizza," said Daly. "The only thing I said to him, it was in a really relaxed tone was, 'No. I'm not winking at you.'"

From a preliminary internal investigation the Marines in question stated they were subject to unwanted verbal advances, that they were closely followed, and that a threat was communicated by a member of the other party. Col David Robinson, Commanding Officer, MAG-31 stated. "Although this certainly does not justify the actions of the Marine who punched the individual, it is important for us to consider both sides of the story."

"The United States Marine Corps does not tolerate discrimination or violence of any kind between military members and the citizens we defend," said Col. David Robinson, commanding officer, MAG-31. "Military authorities and civilian agencies are cooperating. As the investigations shed more light onto the situation, the appropriate actions will be taken regarding the uniformed service members involvement and if it is determined that civil or criminal laws were broken, the individuals will be held fully accountable."

The Marines are identified as 22-year-old Keil Joseph Cronauer and 23-year-old Christopher Charles Stanzel. They were booked into Chatham County jail on misdemeanor battery charges, released to military police and currently restricted to MCAS Beaufort.

Twenty-six-year-old Kieran Daly suffered bruising to the brain and two seizures immediately after the attack. Daly remains hospitalized and denies coming onto the soldiers. The victim says he "only came out six months ago."

If these Iraq War vets were "threatened" by a gay man allegedly "winking" at them and making "verbal advances", I'd seriously hate to see them on patrol in Baghdad.

"[A police] officer rushed to the intersection and found 26-year-old Kieran Daly unconscious, with friends performing emergency first aid, a report stated. The officer caught up with the two men who were running, identified as 22-year-old Keil Joseph Cronauer and 23-year-old Christopher Charles Stanzel. Police records show both men are stationed at Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, S.C. Cronauer and Stanzel told police they were being harassed by a gay man and wanted to get away from him. But witnesses painted a different picture, according to the report.

"They told police before the men were seen dashing away from Johnson Square, one of them grew angry because they thought Daly was winking at them and struck Daly in the back of the head with his fist, knocking him unconscious. Saturday night, from his bed at Memorial University Medical Center, Daly insisted he tried to convince the Marines he was not winking at them. 'The guy thought I was winking at him,' Daly said. 'I told him, 'I was squinting, man. ... I'm tired.' Daly said one of the men told him he demanded respect because he served in Iraq. And at least one hurled slurs at him as he tried to walk away. 'That's the last thing I remember is walking away,' Daly said."

Cronauer and Stanzel were booked into Chatham County jail on misdemeanor battery charges and later released to military police, report the Chronicle and the Savannah Morning News. The Savannah Police Department's LGBT liaison is investigating.

The victim suffered bruising to the brain and two seizures immediately after the attack. To add insult to the already serious injuries: Georgia does not have a hate crimes statute and the victim says he "only came out six months ago". Probably not the coming out party that he expected.

UPDATE:Cronauer and Stanzel apparently have computer privileges while in Marine "custody". Their Facebook pages are now locked.